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Fantasy Football Mock Draft (TE and QB early)

Fantasy Football Mock Draft (TE and QB early)

I’ve done over 100 mock drafts with at least a handful from each possible position and through several different league formats from standard or PPR to 2QB or a deep league. The reason I do so many drafts is that practice is what gives you the best edge over your opponents. You will enter your drafts knowing what to expect and what moves will lead you to the team you will feel most comfortable with. You too are able to blaze through a few dozen mocks using our Draft Simulation Software that produces accurate mocks and takes just 7 minutes to complete all for free. Even better, it grades you at the end, tells you where you reached and even gives you the odds your player will be there the following round. If you want to, you can sync your live draft to Draft Wizard, which is virtually like having a team of experts whispering in your ear while you draft.

Today, I’ll be proving an extreme example of my main takeaway from all of these mock drafts: Positions don’t matter until the 5th round. Instead, just draft for value until then. If the best player on the board is a running back for the first three rounds, then just pull the trigger and figure the rest out later. If it is three wide receivers then the same applies. I’ve had this question time and again on twitter (@bobbyfantasypro): “If Gronk is there in Round 2 and Rodgers in Round 3, is it stupid to draft them both?” The answer, friends, is no. They are both strong values at certain spots, and I’ll show you how it all figures itself out in the later rounds.

In the earlier rounds, the difference between each pick is much more substantial than even the difference between a 5th rounder and a 6th rounder. If you have to reach for a running back in the 5th round who would normally go in the 6th, it is better than reaching for one at pick #20 when he should usually go around #25. So when Rob Gronkowski was available at #20 and Aaron Rodgers at #29 of my 12 team mock draft, I pulled the trigger on both. When you draft one or both of these guys, there is no need for a backup at either position, so the rest of my picks were all running backs and wide receivers.

1.5 Julio Jones (ATL, WR)
4.8 Keenan Allen (LAC, WR)
5.5 Kareem Hunt (KC, RB)
6.8 Mike Gillislee (NE, RB)
7.5 Frank Gore (IND, RB)
8.8 Darren McFadden (DAL, RB)
9.5 John Brown (ARI, WR)
10.8 Samaje Perine (WAS, RB)
11.5 Kevin White (CHI, WR)
12.8 Josh Doctson (WAS, WR)
13.5 Devin Funchess (CAR, WR)
14.8 J.J. Nelson (ARI, WR)

The Running Backs

K Hunt, M Gillislee, F Gore, D McFadden, S Perine

This might look like a festering pile of garbage to you, but I am on the right side of the fence with Hunt and Gillislee because of who is standing with me on these two. Each of the most accurate experts we have had the pleasure of chatting with on the podcast has raved about Gillislee’s situation: Most yards per carry over the past two seasons, best goal-line back in football, taking over as the head dog in a top 5 offense and one that ran on the goal-line much more than every other team in football. Twitter is oozing with top experts screaming at anyone who will listen that Hunt shouldn’t make it out of the 4th round. Some even suggest grabbing him at any point in the third or as high as the late second.

I had to make an unsexy pick with Gore because of how long I waited on running back, but he has been a top 12 running back each of the past two seasons. While I don’t expect him to maintain that sort of production, he is a safe pick when you need depth. McFadden and Perine, meanwhile, are not safe, but my favorite pairing in football. Run DMC has the best job in the NFL over the first six weeks, getting all kinds of touches behind the best line in football. By the time Ezekiel Elliott returns, Perine should have his hands on the starting job in Washington. He is bar-none the most talented back on their depth chart and it is only a matter of time before he takes over in that high-powered Redskins offense. Essentially, I spent an 8th and 10th on two running backs who should combine to be a top 15 RB over the full season.

The Wide Receivers

J Julio, K Allen, J Brown, K White, J Doctson, D Funchess, J Nelson

Any time you can start your draft with the all-time NFL leader in receiving yards per game, it is a good thing. Waiting until the fourth to nab a risky pick for my #2 is generally frowned upon, but Keenan is currently healthy and shredding the pre-season. Allen was on pace for 190 targets before he was last injured. White was on pace for 170 last season, even with Alshon Jeffery lining up on the opposite side. Josh Doctson was drafted to replace DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon as the Redskins’ #1 before he went down last year. If that weren’t enough, Funchess has been the most efficient receiver for Cam Newton, and will finally see increased volume, then we’ve seen both Brown and Nelson dominate for extended stretches with Carson Palmer. I am fully committed to the high-risk, high-reward wide receiver strategy from my WR2, WR3 and flex when I am able to start round 1 with a wide-out. I drafted six lottery tickets, and the chances are that three will turn out. Whether it is Brown, White and Funchess or Allen, Doctson and Nelson, there is plenty of talent here to do enough with Gronk and Rodgers to scare the daylights out of my league mates.

Thanks for reading. If you haven’t already, please check out the FantasyPros Football Podcast (below) that I co-host with Mike Tagliere. Good luck this season.

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